Page 40 of Catching the Mistletoe

“Goddamit.” Finally, she pulled away from me, rolling onto her back and stretching her arms over her head. I’ve never rolled out of bed so fast as in that moment, when I nearly got an eyeful of perfect, pale skin as her pajama top rolled up.

“I’ve gotta go see Evelyn.”

“M’kay. I can get breakfast going.”

“Great.”

* * *

“So, you’re still not gonna tell me what we’re doing?” She asked for what felt like the tenth time in ten minutes as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

We were squished in the back of Sam and Evelyn’s campervan, Arabella’s body pressed close to mine.

“Nope.”

Sam pulled up near the Perrine Bridge and killed the engine. “And here we are.”

Evelyn twisted in her seat to face us. “Everyone ready?”

Arabella’s eyes narrowed. “Ready for what, though? You guys are being all cryptic.”

I shrugged. “Guess you’ll find out.”

We all stepped out, and I felt the crisp Idaho air fill my lungs. The bridge towered above us, a marvel of steel and engineering. Below, the Snake River Canyon yawned wide, a gaping invitation to the daring.

As we approached the bridge, a camera crew was setting up their equipment off to the side. They gave me a knowing look, their presence a well-orchestrated part of today’s adventure. Arabella followed my gaze but didn’t connect the dots.

“What’s with the cameras?” she asked.

“Scenic views,” Evelyn chimed in, flawlessly improvising. “Probably capturing footage for a travel show or something.”

Arabella nodded, still clueless but clearly intrigued. Then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Hmm, except we are a travel show.”

We walked along the bridge, the camera crew dropping all pretence of not being there for us and following. When we reached its middle, a man wearing a harness, and a GoPro strapped to his helmet stood waiting. “You must be Mack?” he called out as we approached.

“That’s me,” I replied, offering a handshake. “This is Arabella, Evelyn, and Sam.”

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Rick,” he said, gripping my hand firmly. “So, you ready for this?” He was a sturdy guy in his late forties, with a weathered face that suggested he’d spent a lot of time outdoors.

“Well, since I’m not sure exactly whatthisis, I think I’m gonna plead the fifth.”

Rick laughed at Arabella’s wry reply. I watched as she walked to the bridge railing and looked down, then back at Rick, then over the canyon again. I saw the moment she realized what was happening. Her shoulders tensed and she gasped, turning back to look at me, a question in her eyes.

“It’s not quite skydiving, but it’s the best I could do.”

“Oh. Shit.” She turned back, “This is…base jumping, right?”

“Yup.”

Leaning over the railing a bit more, trying to get a sense of the drop, she asked her next question. “How high up?”

Rick answered. “Over four hundred and fifty feet.”

“I can’t do it by myself.”

“No. It’s a tandem jump. You’ll go with me.”

“Where do you land?”

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